After the Volkswagen Group council gave Porsche and its sister brand Audi the go-ahead to explore the possibility of entering F1 earlier this year, both parties are keen to become one under the new F1 regulations.
The deal sees Porsche take a 50% stake in Red Bull in F1, as confirmed in legal documents that appeared in Morocco late last month. These documents also stated that the agreement could be announced today, August 4, but without the green light for the moment.
Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner said in Hungary there is still a “long process” to go through before any potential deal can be announced, pointing to “caveats” surrounding Porsche’s status as a new engine manufacturer and the concessions you can get.
The VW Group, for its part, has been reluctant to take the final step until the engine regulations for 2026 have a conclusive result, which means that, while the regulations remain unfinished, the announcement of Red Bull and Porsche will have to wait.
Some of the details of this deal include how many hours will be allowed in engine testing for a new entity like Porsche, as well as the material used for the engine’s pistons. While current manufacturers want to use steel, given their previous experience, Porsche is understood to be interested in switching to aluminum.
Initially, the World Motor Sport Council vote was to take place on August 2, but it has been delayed until August 8, so the results may take longer to arrive due to the summer break.
Speaking to Autosport’s sister publication Motorsport-Total.com, Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko said the matter was “very simple”.
“The decision of the VW board of directors is that if the technical standards meet the criteria, then they have the go-ahead to enter Formula 1,” Marko said.
“That’s mostly about cost limitation, sustainability, zero emission fuel, equal opportunity as a newcomer, so more power bank capacity, and so on.”
“But in purely formal terms, these new regulations don’t exist yet. The FIA president is supposed to put it to an email vote soon. Only then will things officially get under way.”
Ferrari and Mercedes have previously denied that they “were dragging their feet” about approving the new rules to thwart plans by Porsche and Audi .
Red Bull announced earlier this week that Honda would continue to provide technical support for its power units and engines until the end of 2025.
The team formed its own operation known as Red Bull Powertrains in Milton Keynes, which was to take over from Honda later this year following the Japanese manufacturer’s decision to end its involvement in F1 after 2021, only to have it the freezing of engines will change these plans.
The extension of this deal means there is less doubt about Red Bull Powertrains’ status as a new entrant from 2026, when it is assumed to be ready to work with Porsche .
“They are only working towards the 2026 regulations,” Marko said of Red Bull Powertrains’ current approach. “If a new manufacturer comes along, they can cooperate.”
Marko also confirmed that Red Bull and the AlphaTauri team will continue to use the same powertrains from 2026, paving the way for Porsche to also supply engines to the Italian squad should the regulations be finalized. In this way, ownership of AlphaTauri will continue to be 100% in the hands of Red Bull.
